Method of purifying sugar



Sept. 17, 1935.

l.. HYvE Y 2,014,897

METHOD OF PRIFYING SUGAR Filed Ag. L4, 1932 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Sept. 17, 19135 PATENTI oFFlcE 2,014,897 METHOD F PURIFYING SUGAR `Louis Hyve, Marseille, France Application August 4, 1932, Serial No. 627,510

In France August 19, 1931 3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in means of purifying sugar.

It has already been proposed to refine or purify sugar by submitting masses of sugar to be refined '5 to the action of sugar solutions of increasing purity While being displaced in a direction opposite to the one of said sugar solutions, in order to remove from the crystals of sugar the nearly solidified motherlies which surround everycrystal. Certain devices of such kind are however connected withthedrawback that they do not allow the sugar to be purified to be conveniently treated bythe treating solution, so that at the end of the treatment some impurities are still present with the crystals of sugar which it is thus nearly practically impossible to obtain in a convenient pure state.

' tion, the sugar brought into the form of a paste is laid under a. thin layer upon a conveniently moving sieve receiving the action of a purifying sugar solution which is projected upon said layer with a convenient .living force with a view to secure a progressive displacement of the impure syrup which surrounds the crystals to be puried and which thus `progressivelydeaves said crystals and makes it escapethrough the aperture's of the sieve while the purifying syrup re-l mains above said surface, the very small passages 3@ existing between the crystals and the viscosity of the solution preventing both syrups to become -l mixed at the surface of their contact.

- The living force of the purifying syrup is obtained by projecting under the shape of a showerbath the purifying syrup, thisV result being obtained either by means of jet under pressure or of a rain of drops falling down from a convenient given height, while the sieve which occupies a horizontal ory conveniently inclined position, is

40 given a convenient movement.

'Ihe shower devices are preferably stationary and Washing devices-are provided at the end. of

' washed syrups taking place in convenient correspondlng separated tubs. y

. The removing of impure syrup under the sieve Y will be favoured by means of scraping devices or suction devices and at the end of the travel, pulverized water or steam will be projected upon the By the purifying means according to my invennected with a convenient motor not shown in the operation is very quick so that no inversion of 5 syrups can take place during the process.

In the accompanying drawings which show by way of example a diagrammatical showing of a preferred embodiment of a device for purifying sugar according to my inventiomw Fig. 1 is adiagrammatical front view of said device.

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of 4the device according to Fig. 1, the tank containing the purifying syrup, having been removed. 15

Fig. 3 is a part side view of Fig. 1 showing the arrangement of the carrying parts which support the sugar to be purified.

The sugar to be 'purified conveniently mixed with impure syrup so as to constitute a kind of paste, is contained in a tank 2, and a transporting device I takes the paste from tank 2 to a hopper 3 provided with a convenient mixing device, and connected with a chute 4 the lower end drawings and causes the device to be displaced in the direction of arrows F in Fig. 1.

The foraminated metal-plates are provided with vertical flanges 23 and are conveniently guided by means of rollers 24 (Fig. 3) conveniently arranged so as to secure a rectilinear either horizontal or conveniently inclined shape to the carrying surface thus constituted.

Located above the upper part of the endless 45 l carrying surface thus constituted, is aA tank 25 containing the purifying syrup, the degree of purity of which is conveniently regulated. Said tank 25 is provided in its bottom with series of apertures 26 of convenient cross section. 50

, A tubi21 located under the sieve constituted by foraminated metal plates 22 and also under the tank '25, is provided with a bottom 28 convenientlv inclined and provided at its lower end with a suction chamber 29 for a pump not shown in the drawings and the delivery pipe Il oi which is connected with the distributing tank 3.

Convenient washing nomles 3i are located in the vicinity of the drum 1 quite near the place where the sieves end their working stroke. A receiving plate I! located below the sieves ends into a collecting tank I3. A pump u connected with said tank 3l through its suction pipe delivers liquid into tank 25, through a pipe 35.

The operation is as follows:-

'I'hesugarbeingpastedintank2,iscarl'ied by means of noria i tothe distributing hopper 3 which delivers it' through its chute 4 with a small and regular thickness upon the transport--r ing surface 22 in proportion of the displacement of foraminated metal plates 22 under the operation of drum 1.

Each of said foraminated plates 22 having thus received a convenient quantity of pasted sugar under a small regular thickness, travels under tank 2l and receives during said travelling a rain of purifying syrup. Said syrup. owing to its livtub I1, said falling down being preferablyfre'n dered easier or quicker by means of scraping devices or suction devices located under foraminated metal plates 22 and not shown in the drawings. 'Baidwastepastingsyrupissentback fromtubllthroughpipellintothehoppers fromwhichthepartoi'saidsyrupwhichismcst charged in impurities flows away through a canal 56 provided with a sieve into the mixing or pastingtankf. Saidtankitselfdeliversasusaithe mostimpurepartofitscontentstotheusual wastesuch as molasses'pr by-products.

natedplatestlforanendleaswiregauecomprising or not swiveling meshes. It would also be possible to use an endless belt conveniently foraminated and made of any convenient substance.

It would be, in some instances, advisable to use the plant shown in Figs. 4 to 6 comprising also the tank 2, the noria I, the distributing hopper 3 and the chute I, in which sugar is received in' a series of baskets 5 comprising each, as shown in Fig. 6. a box II the bottom of which is constitutegi by n, wire gauze l1, the several baskets being connected with each other by means of hooks il thus constituting an endless chain carried and moved by drums I, 1.

The endless chain travels above a row of tubs l, l, Il, carrying at their lower end pumps Il, i2, I3, which receive the syrup gathered in tanks Il, I, I, and deliver same above the chain of baskets as shown in Fig. l, the pump Il of the last tank I delivering its syrup to the hopper 3 20 throughs canal I4, scrapers such as l5, Figs.

4 and 6, being arranged under the lower face of said baskets, for causing the pasting syrup to more easily fall down into the receiving tubs.

Said baskets may be carried on uneven rails.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for purifying sugar comprising a traveling sieve for receiving the pasted sugar ltobepurifiedinaverythinbed,rneans forprojecting a purifying syrup upon said sugar to be purified in the form of a large number of minute droplets with such force as not to displacel the crystals of the pasted sugar and merely to displace gradually the impure syrup upon said crystalsliowafdiithebottulliofsaldbedOfpsied86 sugar until said impure syrup has been displaced by said purifying syrup, means for collecting the impure syrup so displaced andl means for collecting the sugar so renedand purified.

2. An apparatus for purifying sugar comprising a traveling sieve for receiving the pasted sugartobepuriiiedinaverythinbed,atank located above said sieve containing a purifying syrup, said tank having minute perforations in the bottom thereof for allowing said purifying solution to fall down upon said sugar to be purified in the formof a large number of minute4 dropletswithsuchforceasnottodisplacethe vcrystalsofvthe pasted sugar andmarely todis placegraduallytheimpunesyrupupi'xsisaidcrys-50 talstowarzisthebottomofsaidbedofpasted sugar until said impure syrup lus been displaced by said purifying syrup, means for collecting the `impuresyrupsodisplacedbysaidminutedropletsandmeans'forcollectingthemga'rsoreilned andpuriiled. A

3,'1'hemethodofpurifyingmgarcomprisingspreading thepastedsugarin a thinbed, then .projecting a purifying syrup upon said'bed of pastecsugarintheformoiifalargenuxnherofo minute droplets with such force as not'todisplacethecrystalsofthepastedsugarandmerely todisplacegraduallytheimpuresyrupuponsaid crystalstowardsthebottomofnidbedofpasted sugaruntilsaidimpmesyruphasbeendisplaced by 'said purifying syrup. then collecting the impuresyrupsodisplacedandthmcoilectingthe sugarsorefinedandwrified.

LOUIS HYVE. 

